Wednesday, July 17, 2013

The Importance of Having a Blogging Community

Brenna is a Stay- At- Home- Mom of a busy three- year old and Creator and Writer of Life After Laundry. She blogs about her love for crafts, and incorporates them into her everyday projects, as a way to save money and benefit her family.
Don't Go At It Alone by Life After Laundry
Not long after attending Online BlogCon, I noticed that there were a few bloggers that always shared each others stuff on FB. You would see blogger “A” post a new recipe and quickly after you would see blogger “B” and “C” re-posting it to their feed as well. This caught my attention very quickly, and I started to wish I could find this kind of partnership/ friendship, or what some bloggers called tribes.




One night I got brave and asked in the Online BlogCon Facebook group if anyone would like to be part of a small group with me, the goal... to simply support each other. I wasn't sure if anyone would answer, but within 30 minutes 10 people had replied and I had my tribe. At that time I still had no idea how important these people would become in my life. It turned out to be so much more than just sharing a few things on Facebook. These ladies are so important to me in my blogging career, but also as friends.

Reasons you need a tribe:


Support: 

It is going to happen -- there are going to be days when you are not sure why in the world you are a blogger. It will be that rude comment, a low stat day or just an all around overwhelmed feeling that will make you want to throw in the towel. You need a group that will remind you that it isn't all bad and help you remember why you started.

Unless you are super lucky, most times family members and friends don’t understand blogging. So, these will also be the people who “get it” when you have big exciting news. People who are genuinely excited for you and will celebrate your success.

A perfect example of the support you will get in a small group is found in writing this very article. So, when you are nervous about writing an important guest post, they will listen to your ideas, proofread your work, and be there the very day it is published to leave comments and cheer you on.

Work on Projects Together: Sometimes starting a new project is a little scary, whether it's your first link party, a giveaway or a series you are wanting to try out. It's definitely comforting to know that you don’t have to search very far to find people who are going to want to join in on your venture.

Expands your reach: Chances are you don’t have all the same followers, so when they share something with their following it’s expanding your reach. It also gives you more credibility because you were recommended by someone they are already familiar with.

You can learn from each other: As soon as any of us read or find something new, we quickly get online to tell everyone about it in the group. This could be something we have had success with, learning information or new about the ever-changing FTC regulation. I have to say that I've learned something new from every member of our tribe. Each person has a unique talent, and has helped encourage the others in that area.

Where to find your tribe:



Blog Conferences: You already know this is where I found my core group. Whether an online or an in-person conference, it is a great place to connect with other bloggers. Although I will have to admit it takes more nerve and confidence to make this happen in person. Having attended both kind of conferences though, I know this is one of the best ways to find some blogging buddies.

Link Parties: Themed link party or a blog hops are always a great way to meet people and start up a conversation that could turn into a great friendship. You aren't going to get that by leaving a comment saying “stopping by from ____ link party,” so leave genuine comments.

Facebook Groups: Blogging or special interest groups are great ways to meet people. I have made lots of new friends that were in my blogging “niche” from joining a quilt along group.

Leaving Comments/ Following other Blogs: My very first friendship in the blogging world came from leaving a sincere comment on a blog that I was following. We continued to email back and forth after that, and she is now one of my closest friends.

Blogging is not something we need to go at alone. I hope you will starting looking for a few people who you can add to your own tribe. Ideally it will be a small group of 7 - 10 bloggers. When you get your people together, start a Facebook group, so that it is easy to talk back and forth. Jump right in, get to know each other, read and share each others post, and talk about your goals.

The right support can make a world of difference and can help you take your blogging to the next level. Not to mention you might make some invaluable friendships along the way.

"Bloggers are your community... not your competition!"

-Jamielyn Nye

10 comments:

Unknown said...

Great post, Brenna! I agree that a tribe is very important, and it's something that I struggle with a LOT as a blogger. Finding the right place to fit in has been hard, but I definitely see the benefit of having a group to support and that will help support you.

Linda Loosli said...

Brenna, you just made my day...I just love what you wrote! I LOVE the idea of your "tribe"! It makes me want to start a tribe of my own! Great ideas! Thank you!

Linda Loosli said...

Brenna, thank you so much for writing this post! I LOVE your idea of having your own "tribe". It can be pretty lonely doing a blog!

Unknown said...

Brenna this explained it perfectly and you are right it is so much more than sharing each others posts! Fabulous Job!

Cassie Tucker said...

You are so right, having a tribe can really help you through those tough times. But they can also push you to do things that you never thought you could do. If it wasn't for the blogging tribe that I'm in I never would have signed up for some of the affiliate programs that I have or made the switch to Wordpress!

Mariely VĂ©lez said...

This is so true! Having a tribe of bloggers is very important. Besides having people to share your work with, you can make great friends from it too. I haven't shared my blog with many people in real life because they just don't get it. For that reason, an many more, I like being part of a blogging tribe. I've learn so much from my bloggy friends! We all support each other :)

Heidi@OneCreativeMommy.com said...

Awesome post, Brenna! I know I'm not officially part of your tribe, but I sure love the support I get from you! I totally agree with everything you wrote. Networking with other bloggers is a must! (And--just to put in a plug for Online Blogcon--that's where I've found great help with blogging questions and support.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the great advice and inspiration. I have not promoted my blog as well as it deserves. I believe deeply in my issue and long to see more readers find it. You have helped me learn the value of a tribe, fellow bloggers who support one another.

stephaniegiese said...

So true! Since joining a tribe last year my blog went from having about 120 followers to having almost 2,000. It makes a huge difference in expanding your reach and also gives you some great friends!

CZYK Publishing said...

Having a tribe is great!